


Caring

by conceptstage



Series: Critical Fiction [18]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Team human shenanigans, platonic fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-14
Updated: 2018-09-14
Packaged: 2019-07-12 06:32:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 891
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15989642
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/conceptstage/pseuds/conceptstage
Summary: Beau has a unique way of showing that she cares.





	Caring

The sun was warm on the back of Caleb's neck as he hurried through town. They were leaving Nicodranas in less than half an hour but he just had to make one last hunt for a bookstore. It was fruitful, at least, he had one brand new book in his bag that seemed promising. He glanced up at the sun and cursed in zemnian under his breath. He was late, Beau was gonna punch him. He paused outside an alley and looked down the long stretch of cobbles and stone walls

He could see the roof of the inn about two hundred feet away, peeking over the tops of the other buildings. A shortcut? It was hard to see anything in the shadows but there was no movement that he could make out. Seemed safe.

He took a deep breath and ran down the alley, letting put a sigh of relief when he burst through the other side. His relief was cut short when a hand grabbed the back of his coat, dragged him back ten feet into the alley, and slammed him up against the wall, pressing his face into the cold stone.

“The fuck you think you're going?” hissed a slimy voice in his ear.

“Ah, just- just passing through, friend, sorry to have disturbed you!” There were some footsteps behind him. Four, counting the guy holding him against the wall.

The guy flipped him and pressed his back painfully against the stone. They were older than he had assumed by their voices, probably in their early forties, but they were dressed in torn clothing, the slivers of skin he could see battered and bruised.

“Check him fer coin,” one of the others said, pulling out a dagger.

He had no coin, had spent the last of it down to his final copper on that book, but he was sure they wouldn't believe him if he told them. Did he dare try casting something? Suggestion might work if he could get the words out before they grew hostile.

Before he had to decide, a blue blur fell from the roof, landing on one of the assailants farther back and flattening him to a pancake. With a dexterous somersault, Beau rolled back to her feet with her staff in her hand and hit the one guy who had just spoken in the gut with the end then flipped it up to catch him hard in the chin, sending him sprawling on the ground. She brought up her leg with devastating swiftness and kneed the third man between the legs, palming his face painfully and then smashing his head into the stone twice. He crumpled like a ragdoll at her feet.

She turned to the guy who currently had Caleb in his hold and he spun around with his arm wrapped around the wizard's neck. He flipped out a knife and pressed the sharp point into Caleb's cheek. He felt a pinch and the warm welling of blood.

“Who the fuck are you?” the man exclaimed, panic seeping from every pore. 

Beau didn't answer his question. which didn't surprise Caleb. “Get your goddamn hands off of him, you sonovabitch!” she hissed, thrusting her staff forward. Caleb winced just in case her aim wasn't true, but the end of the staff flew passed his face and forced its way into the assailant’s open mouth, throwing him off of Caleb's back. He fell to the cobbles, clutching at his throat desperately and choking for air.

It had all happened so quickly that Caleb couldn't work through his feelings fast enough to react when she suddenly grabbed his arm and pulled him out into the sun to check him for injuries. “I-I am fine!”

“Nothing hurts?” she asked, giving the puncture on his cheek the stink eye. It wasn't bleeding but he could tell there was just a bit of blood welling up on the surface. He shook his head and opened his mouth to speak but whatever he was about to say turned into a yelp when she punched his shoulder. “Where the fuck have you been? What the fuck were you thinking? You could have been killed. You can't just go off alone like that!”

Normally he would have been angry about the uncalled for punch and said something snarky back, but he suddenly saw something in her eyes that he never had before. Genuine concern. Heartfelt worry for his well being. It was… nice. And kind of creepy. “I… I am sorry,” he said, instead on the stark comment on the tip of his tongue. 

She looked tense, like she was preparing herself to snark back at him, but she deflated when he apologized like it was the last thing she had expected from him. “Just… don't do it again. If you die from something stupid like that I'm going to make Caduceus bring you back just so that I can kill you again myself.” She turned on her heel and started leading him back towards the inn.

He wasn't going to thank her, not when she had just punched him. But he filed this away for later. Maybe he could pay her back some way, some day in the future. If this was how Beau showed someone she cared, as he suspected, he supposed he could get used to it.

 


End file.
